Lucas Auer leads a BMW 1-2 in thrilling race at the Lausitzring

BMW Motorsport team RMR driver Lucas Auer made the most of a heavily strategic race on Sunday at the Lausitzring to take his first victory of the year, followed by Team RMG’s Timo Glock.

Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline’s Robin Frijns completed the podium, with team-mate and championship leader Nico Müller only managing to finish fifth.

At the start Frijns took the lead, with Team Rosberg’s René Rast overtaking Müller for second place. BMW Team RBM’s Sheldon van der Linde got stuck on the grid, with all the drivers behind him avoiding the BMW.

The positions at the front remained stable, with Frijns holding a cautious pace, which allowed Team Rosberg’s Jamie Green and BMW Team RMG drivers Timo Glock and Marco Wittmann to catch up with the leading pack.

Rast overtook Frijns at Turn 1 on lap four for the lead, with Green starting his attack on Müller. Three laps later, the Dutch driver returned the favour.

Van der Linde was the first to change tyres, coming into the pits at the end of lap eight. Team Phoenix driver Mike Rockenfeller followed suit two laps later. Glock was the first from the leading group to change tyres, doing so at the end of lap 11, followed by Green a lap later.

The leaders continued lapping 1.5 seconds slower than the best lap time in the race so far, which allowed Wittmann to close in on Müller.

Rast and Wittmann were the first of the leaders to change tyres, coming to the pits at the end of lap 17. Both returned to the track in the grips of Rockenfeller, having lost several track positions.

Müller pitted a lap later, returning to the track just ahead of Rast, who overtook the Swiss driver on the back straight. Frijns dove into the pits at the end of lap 19, with the Team Abt Sportsline mechanics performing a quick stop and he overtaken by Rast and Müller as he returned to the track.

After the entire field had completed their mandatory pit stops Green, who had been lapping significantly faster than the leaders with new tyres, was the new race leader, followed by Glock and Team RMR’s Lucas Auer. Team Phoenix’s Loïc Duval was fourth, followed by Rast, Müller and Frijns.

Green’s tyres started giving up with 16 minutes to go on the race, with Glock overtaking for the lead at Turn 1 on lap 24, followed by Auer.

The Austrian overtook his fellow BMW driver to take the lead on the following lap, as Green was able to fend off Duval’s attacks. Duval ran wide, losing to Rast and Müller.

Glock regained the lead on lap 27, with Rast having a look at Green’s inside but unable to overtake. Frijns overtook Müller for fifth position, with Rast attacking Green again and the Briton defending his position. Frijns started his attack on Rast, but it was Wittmann, further behind, who managed to overtake Duval for seventh place.

Frijns got ahead of Rast on the back straight on lap 30, but the reigning champion kept his foot on to stay ahead. The scrap between the two drivers allowed the leaders to open a gap.

The top nine remained close together as they started the last lap, with Auer taking the lead from Glock at Turn 1. Frijns overtook Rast for fourth place at the back straight, with Green attacking Glock.

Auer took the victory, ahead of Glock and Frijns, who got ahead of Green on the last straight. Müller also overtook Rast to finish fifth, with BMW Team RMR’s Jonathan Aberdein in seventh place.

Duval finished eighth, followed by Wittmann and with Van der Linde completing the top ten.

Müller leads the championship with 133 points, with Rast 36 points behind and Frijns 41 points adrift.

The next round of the 2020 DTM season takes place at Assen from 4-6th of September.